A Crack In The Stone
by JenniferC16
Summary: What was supposed to end up as another late night at the office turns into something that will change Hank Voight's life and remind those close to him just how much he means to them.
1. Chapter 1

Voight stood, arms crossed, as he looked at the white board. Pasted on, was a photo of a bruised and bloodied tender-aged child. It had been a long week, following down leads and closing in on the suspect. There was something different about cases that involved children for Voight. In all his years on the force, he could never figure what would possess someone to harm children. He shook his head as he erased the names of the suspects and took off the photos.

"We got him." Erin said, coming behind him and taking a seat on the edge of a desk.

Voight nodded, looking down at the photo that he held in his hands. "Somehow, it doesn't feel enough."

She nodded.

Voight handed the picture to her, "Jail is too easy a sentence for scum like that."

She tucked it into a folder, "At least, he'll be off the streets and can't hurt anyone else."

Voight smirked, "I hope he gets a taste of his own medicine in there."

Erin scoffed. "Hey, we're getting drinks at Molly's. Why don't you come down with us?"

Hank shook his head and turned to clean off the rest of the white board, "I've got to wrap up some paperwork and I was thinking of giving Olive a call later on tonight."

"Erin, you ready?" Jay asked as he came out from the hall and grabbed his bag from underneath his desk.

She nodded, "Hank, you sure you don't wanna come?"

Hank made his way to his office and over his shoulder said, "I'm good. You two go ahead. But I don't want to see you two hungover tomorrow morning!"

He closed his office door and looked out his window. He could see dark clouds forming and a few flashes of lightning in the distant sky. He turned around to his desk, grabbing a shot glass and bottle of whiskey from the drawer and poured.

He sat on his office chair, flipping through folders and signing forms, occasionally taking a sip of whiskey, relishing the burn as it made its way down. After a while, he glanced up at the clock. _9:56 PM._

He shook his head at how fast the time had gone and so decided to call it night Hank rose, straightening his desk, closing his office blinds and grabbing his jacket.

He felt an odd cramping like pain slowly creep its way up his arm. He shook it, trying to loosen it up but it wouldn't stop. The pain began to intensify, Voight's breath ran short and he steadied himself on his desk. He took deep breaths when suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his chest. He winced at the pain, grabbing hold of his chest and letting out a groan. The lightning flashed outside, matching the feeling of the needle-like pain as it crept and shot across his chest.

Voight tried to reach for his phone that lay on his desk but the pain in his chest kept tightening making each gasp for air futile. He dropped to his knees, his phone just out of his reach. Fighting the pain, he tried to stand but his legs felt a thousand pounds and it was as if his body was trying to implode. His body gave out and he fell to the floor, pushing the papers off the desk and they scattered on the floor.

He laid there, staring at the ceiling, clutching his chest, taking short gasps as his eyes slowly closed.


	2. Chapter 2

"I still don't get why you can't just pick up the folders in the morning." Erin asked, holding onto Jay's arm as they made their way up the district steps.

"I need to go over the statements again before we interview that witness. Besides, in the morning, I like to read current case files while drinking my coffee."

She looked up at him, eyes narrowed, "You do not!" smacking him on the shoulder.

He chuckled, putting his hand on the scanner and the gate buzzed, opening.

"I wouldn't mind coming back here, if it wasn't raining so much. I'm soaked, Jay."

"Don't worry, give me one minute and we can head home and and get you dried off." He turned, wiggling his eye brows.

"Stop!" she laughed, pausing when she saw the light in Voight's office still on.

"Is Hank still here?" she said, puzzled.

"I doubt it. It's almost _10:30_ " Jay said, his head ducked under his desk, flipping through the file drawer.

"But his light's still on", she said slowly, walking towards the office.

"He probably forgot to turn it off, Erin."

"Hank wouldn't forget." She instinctively put her hand to her sidearm, seeing the mess of papers that were on the floor.

"Jay."

He immediately picked up on Erin's tone of voice and stopped what he was doing, knowing that something was up, coming up behind her quickly just as she made it to the doorway.

"Hank!" she gasped, dropping to her knees by his side.

Hank was sprawled on the floor, one hand clutching his chest. His eyes were closed but his eyelids were moving, as if he were dreaming. Tears instantly flooded from Erin's eyes, "Hank!?" she cried.

Jay pulled out his phone and called for an ambulance.

She checked for a pulse, it was faint but there was a pulse. She ran her fingers over his body, "There's no blood, Jay."

"There's nothing. What's wrong with him?"

"I don't know, Erin. Ambulance is on the way."

"Stay with me, Hank. Please. Stay with me!" she cried, cradling his head in her lap and resting her forehead on his.

* * *

Sylvie and Jimmy arrived on scene, quickly dropping their gear alongside Hank's unconscious body and tending to him.

Erin clung to Jay in the corner of the room, watching the scene unfold, losing a fighting battle to her tears.

Sylvie shined her flashlight into Hank's eyes, "Sgt. Voight? Can you hear me?"

He didn't make a sound. "He's unresponsive."

Jimmy attached the ECG wires to Hank's chest and after seeing the reading said, "ST elevation. Heart attack."

Sylvie nodded in agreement, checking his pupils.

"We gotta get him in, Jimmy." He nodded and they began to lift Hank onto the backboard when a constant beep erupted from the ECG machine.

"He's crashing! D-fib!"

Sylvie grabbed the defibrillator and charged it, "Clear!"

Hank's body jerked upwards. "Nothing."

"Again, Jimmy!"

"Charging….clear!"

Hank's body jerked again. Erin buried her face into Jay's chest, muffling the sound of her sobs.

"Damn it, Voight. Come on." Jay said in a prayer-like whisper.

The ECG continued to beep, the green line riding straight across the screen with not a single blip.

"Brett...I don't think..."

"Do it again, Borelli!"

"Charging!"

Jimmy placed the paddles on his chest just as Erin broke away from Jay, stepping towards them. "Fight, Hank! Please! I need you! Please, fight!"

"Clear!"

Hank's body jumped.

They all stared intently at the screen. A small blip appeared.

Then another larger one.

Sylvie grabbed her stethoscope and listened to his heart, "I've got a pulse. Its thready but increasing.

"Let's bring him in."

x


	3. Chapter 3

Jay and Erin sat in the waiting room. She wasn't sure how much time had passed but it seemed an eternity to her. An agonizing, torturous eternity.

The whole unit was there. She wasn't sure who called them all. Jay was by her side the entire time, maybe he texted them. Or maybe Will did.

Olinsky sat next to them. She was used to Alvin being calm and steady through situations of all kinds, laid back and just taking each moment as it came. Tonight was no different. She studied his face, trying to see what he was feeling.

He just sat in his chair, resting his head against the wall, eyes closed as he rolled a toothpick from one side of his mouth to the other. It wasn't an uncaring expression that was on his face but rather a confidence that she wished she had. It was as if Olinsky was in on a secret, as if he knew how the story ended and was at peace with it.

Burgess and Ruzek were in the corner, hands intertwined. She was resting her read on Ruzek's shoulder, her eyes red and puffed from crying. Atwater was resting his arms on the waiting room windowsill, a half-empty coffee cup next to him. Platt was flipping through a magazine which she frustratingly tossed on the table next to her.

Mouse was on the floor, legs crossed, with his back resting on a chair. He looked tired, a hoodie up over his shoulders, his hair barely combed. Mouse was always dressed neatly, hair combed and a military order about his appearance. His lacking appearance led her to believe that he probably got the text while asleep and just threw on what was closest to him and came straight to the hospital. Upon looking at everyone else, they had probably done the same. They were all tired.

Erin glanced at the clock, _2:46 AM._

Erin looked up at Jay who was just staring at the floor. His arm was around Erin as she leaned on him, her legs tucked under her. She knew that she looked like an emotional wreck. She didn't need a mirror to see her face. She knew that her make-up had run, that her eyes were red and her hair was messed. She didn't care. She didn't care that she was supposed to be the tough-cop and that right now she was the complete opposite. The most important person in her life, yes, the most important, was laying in the hospital. She had no idea what was wrong with Hank other than hearing the EMT mutter the word "heart attack".

Hank Voight? Tough-as-nails, Don't-mess-with-my-city, Hank Voight had a heart attack? She stirred underneath Jay's hand, as he gently brushed it up and down her back. "You okay?" he asked.

She broke away from his touch, standing up. "It's been forever. What's taking them so damn long?" She wrapped her arms around herself, walking to the nurse's station.

"Is there any word yet?"

"I'm sorry, Erin, they're still in there with him."

"Can you find something out for me, please?"

April saw the pleading in Erin's eyes and nodded, "I'll see what I can find out."

Erin mouthed a "thank you", turning to take her seat next to Jay.

She ran her fingers through her hair, sighing deeply.

"He's going to be fine." It was the first words that Alvin had said to her all night.

When he did show up, all he did was hug her and nod assuringly. They both knew Hank Voight better than anyone. They'd both had front row seats through every up and down, from the passing of Camille to Justin's run-ins with the law to the whole IA investigation.

"You know Hank, Erin. After all he's been through, you think it's his own heart that would do him in?"

She chuckled, looking at him. He shook his head.

"Hank's one tough SOB. He's the kind of guy that…" Alvin adjusted the toothpick sticking out of his mouth, "He's the kind that just don't die from natural causes. They just…live." He pushed his hand out from him, waving a smooth gesture in the air. "Through the good and the bad."

He looked at her, his brown eyes calm and collected. For some reason, it comforted her. She nodded as he patted her knee.

"Guys?" April's calming voice called out as everyone jumped to their feet. Will stepped out in front of her.

"How is he?" Erin anxiously asked. She opened her mouth to ask more questions but Will raised his fingers, "He's stable now."

"Was it a heart attack then?" Ruzek asked.

Will nodded. "He's lucky that you found him when you did." He gestured towards Erin.

"It could have gone very differently tonight."

"Right now, he's drifting in and out of consciousness. We're monitoring his heart and watching for any changes. Dr. Addison, this hospital's best cardiologist, has gone over his charts and determined that no surgery will be needed. We will want to keep him here for a few days to make sure that no other complications arise.

"No _other_ complications?" Alvin asked.

"Heart attacks vary from patient to patient. Some can bounce right back after a few days and resume their lives while others will suffer from symptoms such as dizziness, tiredness, and headaches. Some might have to be dependent on medications.

"What kind of medications?' Erin asked quietly.

"In most cases, antiplatelets. He will probably be prescribed a statin or beta blocker. Sometimes, it's just a daily aspirin. Like I said, all patients vary. We'll just have to wait and see how his body responds."

"I'm sorry, I know it sounds like I'm being vague but it's still early yet."

Jay stepped forward, putting his hand on Will's shoulder, "Thanks, Will. It's more than we knew before."

"When can we see him?" Burgess sniffled, drying her eyes with a wadded up napkin.

"Two visitors at a time. He's still asleep."

Jay nudged Erin forwards, "You go." She turned and motioned for Alvin to follow her.

x


	4. Chapter 4

Erin shuddered at the sight of Hank laying in the hospital bed. She wasn't used to seeing him hurt, seeing him weak.

He was the strong one, her father figure. He could stare murderers and the coldest of criminals down without flinching. He'd taken a bullet but always bounced back. He fiercely defended those close to him and was merciless with those who betrayed him. He was the last of the generation of old-school cops, those who weren't afraid to do whatever it took to see justice done.

Most people feared Hank Voight. There was a way about how he carried himself. A distinction, a no-nonsense demeanor. His face bore the lines of a cop who had seen too much but survived it all, the lines of sadness. Sadness for those he had lost and sadness for those he couldn't save. His voice, that gravelly voice of his. When words that carried spite rolled off that smoky voice, it was enough to send chills down anyone's spine.

But Erin. She had known a different side of Hank. He wasn't just the tough guy cop who everyone thought had a heart of stone. He was the man who saved her life with just a business card. He was the man who held her through her darkest days and was by her side through the brightest.

He wasn't just a fatherly figure. He _was_ her father.

She stepped towards the hospital bed, taking in the sight of him. There was a cannula under his nose, delivering oxygen. He was covered in a baby blue hospital blanket, wires leading out on both sides from under it, attached to different machines. Each machine had a different sound, a different light. They were all blinking different colors at different intervals. Some would make intermittent beeping sounds while one would let out a huff of air, expanding and deflating. That sound alone made her hair stand on end. " _It's just the oxygen tank, it's a good thing",_ she thought to herself, trying to stay calm.

She wasn't a doctor. She didn't know what each machine was doing but she did know that blinking lights and random sounds were a good thing. It meant he was alive and that was all that mattered to her.

She studied his face as tears streamed from hers. "Hank?" she said, in a whisper that was barely audible. His eyes flickered, as if he was experiencing a vivid dream. His cheek and temple twitched.

"Hank?" she said again, a whisper.

He began to stir, his eyes slowing opening.

His mouth opened and on the waves of a throaty and hoarse voice, he whispered, "Hiya, kid."

* * *

She took his hand, "You had us scared. Really scared", gently swatting his hand.

"I'm okay."

She sighed, tilting her head, her shoulders relaxing. Shaking her head, "Hank…"

"I'm _okay,_ Erin."

She whispered, "Seeing you like that. I felt so helpless."

"I'm sorry." He tightened his hand around hers.

"It made me think how much I need you in my life. How important you are to me and how much I…"

Her voice caught in her throat.

"I just…I can't lose you."

"And you won't. I'm sticking around for the long run."

She hugged him, careful not to pull any of the wires, but she hugged him tight as she could without causing him pain. Sobbing into his shirt, "You don't do this to me again", she sniffled.

He chuckled, "I don't plan to."

Alvin came out from the corner of the room where he was standing, waiting for the right time to speak.

"You know, Hank…"

"If you wanted some time off, you could have just said so."

Hank chuckled, a slight cough following.

"Hey, Al." He reached his arms upwards and their hands met into a forearm handshake.

"How you doin', man?"

Hank nodded, "I won't lie. I feel like I've been hit by a Mack truck."

Will came into the room, "Hey, Doc? When can I get out of here?"

Will's eyes widened, checking his watch. "It's only been about five hours. I advise a little more bedrest." He shook his head at his patients stubbornness.

" _When can I get out of here?_ Erin said, repeating his words. "You're worse than Jay!", her face scrunched in disbelief. "You're staying here until the doctors say you can go. I'll handcuff you to this bed, if I have to!"

Hank didn't say anything. He knew his daughter. She was a woman of her word there wasn't a doubt in his mind…she'd do it.

...end

 **A/N: Well, I hope you enjoyed this story. Even though I am a big fan of medical shows, I'm still lacking when it comes to incorporating those terms and jargon into my fanfic but I did some research to try and make it accurate. I'm kind of critical of my work and am the first one to admit that I do need to learn a lot more. Any and all constructive criticism is welcomed. :) This is the end of A Crack In The Stone but I am working on a few other pieces and plan to post them soon. Thanks for reading!**


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